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OT: The Music Thread: Part IX

EvilDead

EvilDead

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Nov 6, 2014
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In a time when the main focus of the rap and hip hop world was the East-West rivalry, as well as attention to established acts, the mid 1990s saw one of the most forward thinking hip hop albums ever come out that still has an impact on how the genre operates to this very day. That album was The Score by The Fugees. Featuring the trio of Pras Michel, Wyclef Jean, and Lauryn Hill, the Fugees took the style they had on their debut album, which was unsuccessful commercially, and gave it some polish as they took a hard right away from what was popular at the time. Instead of going towards gangster rap or traditional hip hop that originally crossed into the mainstream with acts like LL Cool J, they blended heavy amounts of reggae, soul, funk, and R&B to produce a sound utterly unique that separated from the rest of the pack. They also incorporated a lot of live instrumentation, being one of the first in the world of hip hop to do so. On top of that, Haitian Creole cultural influences were heavily part of their music as well, due in large part to Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel's Haitan heritages, even going so far as to rap in Creole on tracks. The result? An album that launched the group into the mainstream and became the most commercially successful albums of 1996, winning best rap album at the Grammys over 2Pac's All Eyez on Me, won best R&B song of the year, and almost won best album of the year. Lauryn Hill's vocals on this album is what launched her singles music career as she is amazing, either singing or rapping bars. Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel were also phenomenal on this album as well, both in their rapping, songwriting, and production of the record. You know the hits off this album even if you never knew that they were on The Score. Fu-Gee-La, Ready or Not, alongside the covers of Killing Me Softly and No Woman, No Cry. However it is the songs that aren't singles that show how deep this album is. The title track, Zealots, Family Business, The Mask. Just banger after banger. This is a must have album, even if hip hop and rap aren't your thing because of how impactful this was on many genres of music.



 
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EvilDead

EvilDead

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Nov 6, 2014
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Taiwan
A landmark album that launched the band into the superstardom in the year 2002, Queens of the Stone Age's Songs For the Deaf is the rocket that got the band into permanent mainstream radio play and becoming arguably one of the biggest rock acts of the past two decades. Formed after he left the Screaming Trees and the implosion of Kyuss in 1995, Josh Homme reunited with his former Kyuss bandmate Nick Oliveri assembled a solid line up for the first two albums that mainly consisted of them and Gene Trautmann. Coming of the sophomore success of Rated R, the band had a bit of a line up shake up as Trautmann bailed mid tour. What do they do to remedy the issue? Hire Dave f***ing Grohl of Nirvana and Foo Fighters fame to hit the skins and Screaming Trees frontman Mike Lanegan to be co vocalist, as well as later draft in Dean Ween to be the rhythm guitarist. The result is quite possibly one of the greatest hard rock albums put to a compact disc. All five members are firing on all cylinders producing fist pumping desert rock bad assery, harkening back to Homme and Oliveri's time in Kyuss but given a coat of polish and refinement. Grohl's performance on the drums is phenomenal, Homme's guitar work and vocals are on point, Ween's guitar gives great rhythm that compliments Homme, Oliveri's bass adds thunder to the mix and his screaming vocals add sandpaper grit, and with Lanegan's vocals added to the mix all three vocalists compliment each other well. Even with Grohl departing to go back to the Foo Fighters and Ween not staying as permanent fixtures, this album went off without a hitch as Troy Van Leeuwen from A Perfect Circle joined to be the lead guitarist for the tour which has resulted in him being the second longest tendered member of the band and Joey Castillo of Danzig and Wasted Youth fame to fill in for Grohl seemlessly. If you've listened to rock radio in the past 20 years, you've listened to this album even if you don't know it by name. You Think I Ain't Worth a Dollar But I Feel Like A Millionaire, No One Knows, Go With The Flow, First It Giveth, and A Song For The Dead are just some of the tracks that been permanent staples in American rock radio. It's all killer, no filler. Buy it.



 
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jgatie

jgatie

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Went to see Social Distortion w/ Bad Religion at the MGM Music Hall by Fenway last night. A gift from my best friend of 40+ years, to celebrate seeing them on Lansdowne 20 years ago. Mike Ness looks significantly smaller after his battle with cancer (not that he was ever a tall man, he's tiny, but he was very jacked). Abbreviated show due to the double bill, but I can understand, his hair hasn't even grown back yet. Very emotional, and his playing and voice are still top notch. The guy just rocks.

On another note, my old self can't do the weeknight concert thing anymore. The show was over by 11, home by 12:15, and I'm dragging ass this morning (and I don't drink anymore). I used to be able to go till 2 AM, drink 20 beers, and get up fresh as a daisy.
 
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